Suspension means for heat transferring plates of heat exchangers of the plate type



Dec. 26, 1967 T. B. oHRFEL'r 3360034 SUSPENSION MEANS FOR HEAT TRANSFERRING PLATES OF HEAT EXCHANGERS OF THE PLATE TYPE Filed Jan. ll, 1966 T a/ BERr/L OHM-'ELT /NVENTO/, BY WQ ATTORNEY.

United States Patent O 3,360,034 SUSPENSION MEANS FOR HEAT TRANSFERRING PLATES OF HEAT EXCHANGERS OF THE PLATE TYPE Tor Bertil Ohrfelt, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to AB Rosenblads Patenter, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Jan. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 519,918 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 16, 1965, 1,946/ 65 2 Claims. (Cl. 165-77) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A heat exchanger of the plate-type wherein spaced metal heat transferring or. transmission plates arranged in a Stack are Suspended on a common support rod. The suspension means on each plate comprises a Suspension Strap which bridges over the support rod. Said Strap on one side of the rod is pivotally connected to a first upper edge portion of the plate. At the other Side of the rod the Strap is releasably connected to a second upper edge portion of the plate by a fastening means having a projection on either the Strap or the second portion of the plate, and a hole in the other of said members receiving the projection. At Said releasable connection one of the members is provided with a book-like tab which, when the projection is disposed in the hole, embraces the other of said members, so as to prevent fortuitous removal of the projection from the hole.

Such a device is described in Swedish Patent No. 155,121 wherein the Suspension Strap consists of two pieces of Sheet metal riveted or welded flatly against each other and having each end Section bent apart to form legs of equal length which straddle the edge of the plate and wherein a peg on one leg passes through a hole in the plate and into an aligned hole in the other leg. The peg can be dislodged from these holes by springing apart the legs of the Strap.

The present invention concerns a similarly functioning Strap which is considerably simpler and much more Suitable for mass production. In principle it is characterized in that the Suspension Strap comprises a single Sheet of metal which on one side is furnshed with the said projections and at least one tab arranged near one of said projections so that When this projection is introduced into its hole in the heat transmission plate, from one side of the plate, the tab embraces the other side of the plate near the outer edge of the plate just outside the hole located further in from this edge, and wherein the Said tab consists of a relatively Small segment stamped and bent out from the Strap itself.

The invention shall be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of part of a heat transmission plate around the rod and includes a side view of the Suspension Strap according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a section of the arrangement in FIG. 1 alone line II-IL and FIG. 3 shows the same Section view of FIG. 2 with the device in position for removal of the heat transmission plate from the support rod.

Identical details are designated with the same reference characters in the various figures.

A heat transmission plate 1 has a slot 2 which surrounds Support rod 3 on which the plate is Suspended by means of Suspension Strap 4 according to the invention. This Strap which consists of a simple Sheet of metal is furnished at its ends With hollow projections or pegs 5a and 5b pressing out of the Strap Sheet material. Each hollow 3,360,034 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 ICC projection extends from one side 1a of plate 1 through a hole in the edge of the plate. The holes receiving the projections are located in the plate on each side of the support rod. The Strap is pivotally fastened to the plate by means of projection 5a which is loosely riveted over the other Side 1b of the plate. At the side of projection 5b the Strap is furnished with a tab 6 which is punched and bent out of the Strap material itself and clasps Side 1b of the plate at the edge lc of the plate outside hole 7 (FIG. 3) located further in from the edge. Hole 7 is designed to receive projection 5b.

The engagement between projection 5b and hole 7 is maintained by tab 6 in the presence of lateral forces which may occur in the relatively fiexible and suitably thin (not more than about 1 mm. thick) Strap plate when the heat transmission plate is Shifted along Support rod 3 during assembly or disassembly of the pack of plates. In order to reduce these forces the Strap is furnished with a slide fiange 8 on its edge bearing against the Support rod.

On the other hand, if a suitable lateral pressure is applied to the Strap at the end near projection 5a (for example at 9 in FIG. 1), the Strap and edge of the heat transmission plate clasped by tab 6 will cooperatively flex as shown in FIG. 3 so that projection 5b slips out of hole 7. Since the tab is short, thus gripping only the outer edge of the heat transmission plate, and both the Strap and the plate are thin, it is easy to apply the required force manually. The Strap can then be pivoted up free from the support rod so that the plate can be removed.

AS can be Seen from the dashed illustration of the Strap in FIG. 1, the projection 5b and tab 6 are so arranged that the projection leaves the edge of the plate before the tab disengages the plate. This is important when the plate is to'be replaced on the support rod and the Strap pivoted back to its suspending position. During this replacement procedure the tab can first clasp the edge of the plate without the application of any lateral pressure .a'gainst the Strap and then by applying the lateral pressure while pivoting the Strap the projection will pass the edge of the plate land finally snap into the hole. In order to facilitate slipping the tab over the edge of the plate it may have a suitably bent out corner 6a.

If a detachable connection is also desired between projection 5a and the plate, the Strap may have a tab associated With this projection in the same manner as described above for projection 5b. The resulting connection Would be pivotable in the same manner as the loosely riveted connection.

When comparing the present invention with the earlier double Sheet Suspension Strap it -can be seen that by using 'tab 6 the Strap of the present invention can be punched and pressed from a Single Sheet and thus is considerably cheaper for mass production. An essential advantage obtained by this tab constru-ction is the case with which the heat transmission plate can be dismounted because the resilience of both the Strap and the plate is utilized.

Various modifications in the proportioning and details of the described exemplary embodiment m-ay be made within the Scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a plate heat exchanger having heat transferring plates of thin plate material in side by Side relation individually and detachably suspended on a common Supporting rod which extends above said plates perpendicular thereto, the improved means for releasably attaching each of the plates to the rod which comprises, a suspension Strap which bridges over the support rod, Said Strap being made of plate stock, being disposed parallel to the main extent of the plate, and having its ends closely overlying the upper edge of the plate, means on one side of the 'rod for pivotally connecting one end of the strap to a first upper edge portion of the plate for movement from an upwardly extending open position to a closed operative position in which it overlies the rod, and means at the other side of the rod for releasably connecting the two members consisting of the other end of the strap and a second upper edge portion of the plate, said last named means comprising a first part in the form of a projection on one of said members extending toward the other member, and a second part in the form of a hole in the other member, said hole being adapted to receive the projection, the Suspension strap and plate being laterally fiexible so as to permit the projection to be disengaged from the hole by lateral fiexion of the Suspension strap and plate away from each other, and a hook means protruding from one of the members and bent so as to embrace the edge of the other of said members close to its respective part of the releasable connecting means, said projection and hook means being So constructed and arraged that When the projection is disengaged from the hole and the Suspension strap is initially pivoted upwardly to- Ward its open position the outer end of the projection will pass the edge of the member which it confronts while part of the hook means still embraces a part of said other member.

2. A plate heat eXchanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projection and the hook means are mounted on the Suspension Strap, and the hole receiving the projection is in the plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,726,850 12/1955 Buongirno 165 77 2,791,402 5/1957 Egenwall 165 77 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,543 11/1958 Italy.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

T. W. STREULE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER HAVING HEAT TRANSFERRING PLATES OF THIN PLATE MATERIAL IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATION INDIVIDUALLY AND DETACHABLY SUSPENDED ON A COMMON SUPPORTING ROD WHICH EXTENDS ABOVE SAID PLATES PERPENDICULAR THERETO, THE IMPROVED MEANS FOR RELEASABLY ATTACHING EACH OF THE PLATES TO THE ROD WHICH COMPRISES, A SUSPENSION STRAP WHICH BRIDGES OVER THE SUPPORT ROD, SAID STRAP BEING MADE OF PLATE STOCK, BEING DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE MAIN EXTENT OF THE PLATE, AND HAVING ITS ENDS CLOSELY OVERLYING THE UPPER EDGE OF THE PLATE, MEANS ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROD FOR PIVOTALY CONNECTING ONE END OF THE STRAP TO A FIRST UPPER EDGE PORTION OF THE PLATE FOR MOVEMENT FROM AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING OPEN POSITION TO A CLOSED OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT OVERLIES THE ROD, AND MEANS AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROD FOR RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE TWO MEMBERS CONSISTING OF THE OTHER END OF THE STRAP AND A SECOND UPPER EDGE PORTION OF THE PLATE, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST PART IN THE FORM OF A PROJECTION ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS EXTENDING TOWARD THE OTHER MEMBER, AND A SECOND PART IN THE FORM OF A HOLE IN THE OTHER MEMBER, SAID HOLE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE PROJECTION, THE SUSPENSION STRAP AND PLATE BEING LATERALLY 